


The Best Laid Plans

by Luciaphile



Category: Dark Shadows (1966)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Hate Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-31
Updated: 2014-10-31
Packaged: 2018-02-23 10:06:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2543633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luciaphile/pseuds/Luciaphile
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A disagreement between Elizabeth and Jason takes them into unforeseen territory.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Best Laid Plans

_What is a man?_   
_Is he an ornament?_   
_Useless by day,_   
_Handy by night._   
_From Charlie Chaplin to Charlie Chan,_   
_All have one trick;_   
_One that is slick._   
_What is this thing called man?_

Lorenz Hart, “What is a Man?”

* * *  
 _ **1967**_  
* * *

How had she gotten into this position?—that was the question, Elizabeth realized, figuratively speaking, of course. One minute, she had been going at it hammer and tongs with Jason in the drawing room, the next she and Jason had been going at it in an altogether different context and with an entirely different set of implements.

Thank heavens, no one else was at Collinwood tonight. Whatever would they think?

Echoing her thoughts, Jason paused momentarily from his attentions to her breasts and offered up her worst fear, “If they could see us now, eh, Liz?”

The mistress of Collinwood did not deign to reply. Instead she ran her fingers through his hair and guided his mouth back down to her breast. Despite the occasion, she ran down the list of the residents of the house on the hill: Roger was at some dinner in town. Very likely, he would stop for a drink or four with friends. Mrs. Johnson was with her bowling league. David had persuaded Vicki to take her into Collinsport for a double feature. That left Carolyn. Carolyn was out with Buzz.

That gave her pause. Fortunately for her immediate emotional state, Jason was demonstrating a little trick he picked up in Italy or Madagascar or somewhere. She didn’t quite remember what he’d told her; Elizabeth tuned out Jason’s words whenever possible. The effect was exhilarating, though and she managed to put the thought of her beloved child racing around town with someone who seemed to have forgotten how to use soap out of her head.

Of course, after she came down from the effects of an unaccustomed extra glass of brandy and the phenomenal sex, Elizabeth just knew she was going to regret this. But for now, well, perhaps it was best not to dwell on that.

“I almost wish they _could_ see us now,” Jason repeated. He brought himself level with her.

Elizabeth wrapped her legs around him once more. If only Jason would not talk quite so much . . .

* * *

Jason McGuire now bore an expression reminiscent of a cat who had managed to swallow not only the proverbial canary, but several mice and an entire tank of tropical fish as well. Who would’ve thought it? Finally, after all these years, he’d gotten Liz back into bed. Now, he had fully intended to achieve this goal. How could Liz resist a fine fellow like himself after all? He had just expected being forced to use a wee bit of extortion as well. When their set-to had turned into passionate lovemaking, well, he had been surprised as the next fellow.

Perhaps he should have foreseen it though. Jason certainly always found their quarrels stimulating. There was a fire about Liz; there was no mistaking that. She gave as good as she got. He liked that about her. 

“Tell me something,” he began.

“Mmm?”

“How did you manage all these years?”

She opened her eyes. “Manage what?” 

“Well, now, you’re a passionate woman. How did you go eighteen years without a man?”

Very coolly, she asked, “What makes you think I did?” 

Sweet Jesus, but there was something about her that fired his blood. That dry voice and those cool green eyes cut right through him. “Now Liz, you haven’t been off the place in--” He suddenly gasped as he felt her fingers touching his cock lightly. “Give me a few minutes,” he begged.

“You feel ready now.” She pulled him toward her.

He started to reply, but was stymied when Elizabeth went about the only reliable way she knew that would shut Jason McGuire up.

* * *

Lying in his own, rather cold bed, Jason rested his hands behind his head as he considered his options. Tonight’s events would require some alterations in his plans. Now that Liz was going to cooperate, everything was going to go much more smoothly. He smiled to himself in the darkness, remembering his words to her when he’d proposed. Who knew? Perhaps, he might even be willing to mean them now.

They _would_ make a handsome couple. And if tonight was anything to go by, they could still show each other a good time of it. He’d never been faithful to any one woman, but Jason thought that he might be willing to keep his straying to a minimum. Oh, he would maintain the upper hand—they both needed that edge to keep the sparks flying, but he really was prepared to be generous with her. Basking in the afterglow, Jason even thought he might let her keep running the business. Sardines didn’t interest Jason. Living the good life did.

It really was too bad Liz hadn’t come around to his way of thinking twenty-odd years ago. Jason had been prepared to be a reasonably decent husband to Liz then too. He certainly would have kept her happier than Paul ever had. Jason’s lips curled in disgust as he recalled how sloppy his friend had been. No idea of discretion whatsoever. Why Paul had done everything, but wear a sign proclaiming: “I’m shagging the butler’s daughter.”

Liz should have seen how good she could have had it with him as opposed to with Paul. But no, she’d been contented with revenging herself on Paul by sleeping with his best friend. That and a knockdown drag-out fight very like the one he and Liz had just enjoyed and with very much the same sort of results. It wasn’t very long after she’d married Paul that she’d realized her mistake.

What he should have done, Jason realized now, was to pressure Liz. Conflict excited her. That was why all those mealy-mouthed lads of good family had bored her to tears. Jason doubted he could ever get her to admit it, but Liz had taken pleasure in shooting down men like Ned Calder.

He pulled his arms down and yawned.

* * *

Alone in her bedroom once more, Elizabeth stood in front of the mirror and looked at her naked body critically. She had just made a fool of herself in almost every way possible. She was still a handsome woman--she could cling to that at least. Jason’s lust had not been feigned. Elizabeth Collins Stoddard was woman of the world enough to know she had not imagined _that_.

Elizabeth put on a respectable looking nightgown and got into bed. She hadn’t felt this way since before Paul had died. The excitement, the yielding and then finally the self-loathing—these were all familiar feelings. Almost every clash with Paul had ended this way. What she had not been prepared for was the intensity of the self-disgust. Whatever Paul’s faults, and they were legion, there had been some things to which he would not stoop. Not many, but Paul Stoddard had possessed some standards. He was a cruel man, but he had never made a study of it—not like Jason. She’d chosen to be with the monster that called himself Jason McGuire and that was frightening.

What scared Elizabeth most was how much she’d enjoyed her couplings with Jason. It couldn’t just be her years of self-enforced celibacy. If it were merely that, she wouldn’t still want him. It was really almost too bad, that she couldn’t just come to some sort of arrangement with him. 

She shook her head involuntarily. No. He wanted more than she was prepared to give. And she had lost too much face already. There was only one solution to this dilemma.

Elizabeth reached the only possible conclusion to her problem. She would pretend this never happened. That had always worked before. Tomorrow morning, she would go back to being cold and distant with Jason. There had to be a way out of marriage to him. She would think of something.

* * *

Jason finally drifted off to sleep thinking of a rosy future. He had everything locked into place now: Collinwood, the money, the business and Liz were all going to be his—the whole tub of butter was within reach. It was only a matter of time.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> Revised work. I forget when or where I first wrote and posted this--easily over ten years ago.


End file.
